The Last Bookstore: a Photo Essay from Downtown LA’s Bank District

Arches cut through books at the Last Bookstore in Downtown Los Angeles

Good brick and mortar bookstores are few and far between these days. Fortunately Los Angeles has a few, including The Last Bookstore.

The Last Bookstore puts the crime section cleverly in a bank vault

The Last Bookstore combines two things I love: books and re-purposed buildings. Located in Downtown LA’s Old Bank District, The Last Bookstore is over 16,000 square feet of inspired space filled with books, records, and pop up galleries filled with the works of local artists. Best of all, it smells like books.

One section of the bookstore is organized by color of the book spines

The Crime section tucked away inside an old bank vault. There’s a section arranged by the color of the book spines. And there are plenty of nooks and crannies where you can grab a chair and read.

Comfy seating chairs at The Last Bookstore

The Last Bookstore has become a hot spot for everything from intellectual hipster weddings, holiday parties, and movie shoots (that steamy “library” sex scene in Gone Girl was shot here).